In a silver halide photographic material, not only high sensitivity is required, but also it is desired that the fluctuations in photographic properties being dependent on the storage periods after the production of a photographic material until photographing and after photographing until the photographic material is development processed be as small as possible.
Further, a film unit equipped with a lens, "Utsurundesu" produced by Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd., has widely prevailed in recent years. In keeping with the permeation of such a film unit equipped with a lens, silver halide photographic materials have increasingly become to be stored in higher temperature and higher humidity conditions. Accordingly, a photographic material the photographic properties of which fluctuate little when stored in high temperature and high humidity conditions irrespective of before and after photographing has been strongly desired.
As a means to inhibit the increase of fog in a photographic material during storage, it has been disclosed in JP-A-7-239540 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 5,563,025) (the term "JP-A" as used herein means an "unexamined published Japanese patent application") that the increase of fog due to the storage for a long period of time can be prevented by the addition of a certain kind of compounds having a hydroxylamino group as a substituent to a photographic material. The present inventors have found that the compounds disclosed in said publication could effectively prevent the fluctuation in photographic properties in high temperature and high humidity conditions. However, a new problem has arisen by the addition of such compounds.
An emulsion for use in a photographic material is not coated on a support immediately after being prepared but is stored in the state after preparation as it is for a certain period of time for various reasons of preparation time. The emulsion in this state is called a finished emulsion. The time of aging of a finished emulsion until coating varies with every batch, accordingly, it is a big load and not preferred for the production of photographic materials that photographic properties after coating fluctuate according to difference in aging time. The present inventors have found from the examination that the above-described compounds for inhibiting the photographic fluctuation in high temperature and high humidity conditions function effectively in a photographic material but fog in a finished emulsion is increased conversely with the increase of aging time. The details of the reason why completely converse phenomena are generated with a photographic material and a finished emulsion are unknown but the inhibition of the fluctuation-in photographic properties of a finished emulsion with the lapse of time has been strongly desired.
The present inventors have found as a result of eager investigations that, of the compounds having a hydroxylamino group as a substituent, a certain kind of compounds recited in the claims of JP-A-2-841 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 5,158,856) and JP-A-5-165171 are effective as compounds which show little fluctuation in photographic properties of a finished emulsion with the lapse of time. However, it has also been found that these compounds bring about harmful effect such as development hindrance, that is, the reduction of color density is caused by the addition of any of these compounds. The compound for inhibiting the fluctuation in photographic properties during storage is primarily desired to suppress the influence to such and other photographic capabilities as small as possible.